For I Am But A Vessel, Sweetness
by prettyredfox
Summary: Derek has the absolutely worst luck. Would it be so hard to just let him have some time away from the supernatural jerks in society that deemed it necessary to mess with his life? Derek/De-age fic, possible Sterek, though probably platonic and if not that it wont get more sexy than kissing. This is mostly rated for Derek's mouth.


^^This is my first de-age fic, and I am excited. Umm, there is a lot of cussing, so be for warned, and thank you if you decide to read it. And really thank you if you decide to comment!

He'd been in worse situations, he was sure of it. His first girlfriend dying because of him? That was pretty bad; if he hadn't had his mother there he would've come out of that one with more than nightmares, a guilty conscience, and his wolf's eyes flashing blue instead of gold. Kate burning nearly his entire family alive with his help, causing his uncle to go insane and murder his sister? That's pretty fucking tragic. It is impossible to come back from that, though he was proud to say he was doing damn dandy considering. Sure, he had brooding eyebrows (according to all the teenagers in his life) and trust issues, but he could have come out going insane like Peter and murdering everyone who annoyed him. That list was long. Hell, killing Boyd and finding out the teacher he was falling for was an evil druid whatever was unlucky and he'd probably never trust another woman as long as he lived. This shouldn't even faze him!

And yet, something about sitting in a puddle of his clothes with his trademark, black T-shirt hanging down to his chubby ankles with a haughty enchantress standing over him made him want to break down and wail. It just wasn't_ fair_. What the hell had he done to the universe to deserve all the crap? But, he was Derek Hale and crying wasn't reputable for an alpha. Even if he had been suddenly turned into a feeble three year old by a senile old witch who just felt like dicking around with his life today. Was he even considered an alpha anymore?

Fucking witches, couldn't he have just _one day_ where his life wasn't kicking his ass? Now he was out in the woods in the middle of night, alone (God only knew where the rest of his pack was, probably at Stile's house pigging out on junk food and cuddling without him. They were supposed to meet there for a pack meeting so who knew how long it'd take them to figure out Derek wasn't coming), and with the body of a toddler.

Jesus, could he even bring out his claws and fangs in this form? He could only imagine what he looked like, it'd been awhile since he'd seen photos of himself as a child since they'd all been burned up in his house alongside his loved ones. His dark hair curled at the ends to hang just about to his brow and the nape of his neck, his eyes dark hazel that made his delicate face pale looking. He was average sized for a three year old, and he still had his baby fat, his feet tiny and blotchy looking to match his stubby fingers.

The cackling enchantress stooped down to pick him up and he panicked-oh, yep he had tiny claws; Stiles would never let him live this down. He would be forced to forever slam the poor kid into shit and snarl just to keep up his reputation.

"Aren't you just the sweetest thing?" The witch cooed at him, ignoring the little morphed hands digging into her arms as he struggled. Useless, he wanted to cry, he was so useless like this.

Derek growled low in his throat, kicking his feet out at her chest and snarling. "What do you want?" Was that his voice? His pack would never let him live this one down.

"Poor little defenseless Derek." She pulled him closer to her body, tucking his feet under his shirt so he couldn't wiggle and making a 'tsk' sound as he scratched at her neck and face, snapping at her with his teeth. "Hold still, silly baby, you're going to hurt yourself. Guess you should've just stayed in bed tonight. You're all mine now, sweetness."

Fuck that. "As much fun as that sounds, I have a prior engagement-" He began dryly just as a howl rose up into the night air, long and questioning. Isaac, it sounded like, damn he loved that kid, he thought with a smile as he gazed up at the tree line. A wrinkled hand gnarled and smelling of the earth clapped over his mouth before he could answer the searching howl with one of his own and he got a satisfying moment to chew on it, nearly gagging at the foul tasting blood that leaked into his mouth. Gross witches, bitch didn't even cringe and he was eating her damned hand!

She started to move slowly away from where his clothes lay on the forest floor, smearing her blood over his face as her eyes carefully watched the trees. She was covering his scent, he realized, stomach sinking as he started arching away from her, shoving at her leaking appendage. She was really going to take him, steal him away in the night leaving his pack with just his sad pile of clothes and wandering what had happened to him. Would they think he'd abandoned them? No, surely she couldn't cover his scent forever, and as soon as his mouth was free he could let off a howl and they'd come for him.

He was draped in her long, dirty robe, everything smelling of the earth and sweat, as she faded behind a tree just as he caught a glimpse of two gold orbs just before they stepped into the clearing where his stuff lay. Under her breath she said a quick spell in Latin, (as usual Laura, you were right, Latin would have been helpful to learn) a sick feeling cloaking over him as the magic sent goose bumps down his body and the eyes belonging to his rescuer passed right over their hiding spot without pausing. He couldn't hear them, couldn't hear them breathing like he should. Damn witches!

To his horror, his eyes stung and filled with tears of frustration before spilling over to run down his cheeks and he shook. The hand over his mouth tightened and he grimaced as her dirty nails sunk into the skin as another wolf stepped out beside Isaac.

"Found something, then?" Scott, oh that was surprising actually, he must've followed Isaac, and those two went everywhere together now days. "Well, wherever he is, he's naked."

Another pair of feet came running up, the person panting heavily. "Of _course_…he's naked…he's fucking Derek, dramatic…ass." Stiles had come too? Great, he'd never be found now. Isaac would be too busy being annoyed to think and Scott…well; Scott was more of a talk it out/fight if he's out of options type of guy, not a thinker.

"Lydia's going to kill him for skipping out tonight. She was going to force us to watch all the episodes to the Bachelor and eat cupcakes."

"I say we all go missing then. Not naked though, there are just some things guys shouldn't do while bonding and bonding while naked is one of them."

"Guys." Isaac interrupted, sounding aggravated already. "Derek told me he was coming tonight, this is weird. He usually just runs around without a shirt on, not completely unclothed." Thank God for Isaac! Though it was kind of disturbing listening to them talk about him and his constant state of attire. If he got out of this without being molested by this perverted bitch here he would make an effort to wear shirts more often. "Plus, if he was morphed out somewhere he would've answered when I howled earlier."

Yes! Please, they were so close, just right there!

"I guess. Maybe he doesn't want us to find him?" Scott said in his 'always assume Derek is being an ass' voice. Well, just see if he stepped in to kill his girlfriend's crazy mom next time he was in trouble. Ungrateful little shits, the lot of them.

"What's this?" Stiles asked suddenly and the witch twitched against him, her breathing coming out in huffs and blowing his longer hair into his eyes. "It looks like…blood. Ew, smells like mud though." Oh, he was going to be so much nicer to that kid, really he was, if he just helped him get out of this damned mess. The witch shuddered suddenly and hissed, the air suddenly becoming lighter around him just before he heard the two werewolves in the clearing start breathing in loudly through their noses.

"Do you hear that?" Scott whispered his voice low enough that only Derek could hear.

"Heartbeats. Two of them, but I can't smell anything." Isaac whispered back. Oh, hell yes. The spell had been lifted, don't ask him how, he had no idea.

"Step out! We know your there!" She was sure to hear that one, thank you Stiles.

The witch clutched him tighter to her, the hissing getting louder and more than a little creepy.  
"Poor little lost wolves. Don't know what their getting into, now do they, Derek?" She grinned, her lips spreading open far wider than anyone's mouth should, her teeth filed into little points. Witches. Worst thing ever born.

"What did you do to Derek?!"

The witch stepped out from behind the tree, her steps calm and unworried as she walked to the edge of the clearing. She removed her hand finally and Derek spat out her blood before taking in big gulps of clean night air, his eyes finding his pack members for the first time since his transformation. Everyone's eyes were wide with surprise. Isaac looked like he was vibrating where he stood, his hands twitching and face pale with worry for his alpha. Scott looked angry, and confused. Mostly confused, his brows slanted and head tilted to the side. Stiles…looked murderous. His eyes were narrowed as he wiped the witch's blood off on his jeans, his ratty red hoodie sticking out in the night's darker colors.

With a start, Derek remembered he had been crying and his cheeks were probably streaked with tears and blood. Sniffling in embarrassment he quickly wiped at his face, the boys watching closely with clenching fists as a low growl started up in Scott's and Isaac's throats. Their eyes flashed gold, safe, he was safe now, as their teeth and nails elongated and hair sprouted along the sides of their faces.

"Derek?" Stiles said, his voice questioning, controlled anger beneath the surface.

"I'm okay." Derek replied back, noting the protective looks with surprise, his voice high and sweet with youth though his tone implied maturity. He shouldn't have been surprised really; his pack had been a lot more closely knit since Boyd. And it brings out that protective instinct in everyone to see a child in danger. Even if he wasn't a damn kid.

"Change him back." Scott growled looking a little freaked out, like Derek speaking had made this real for him.

"I like him better like this." She stroked his hair with her gnawed on hand and Derek recoiled, snarling, and lashing out with his claws though it didn't defer her whatsoever. "Isn't he just precious? And so much easier to handle." He'd kill her, tear out her throat the second he was normal sized. He would do it nice and slow, spit her nasty blood back in her face as she died and watch _her_ choke on it. The smile spread back over her face like a plague and she clucked her tongue at him. "I see those little homicidal thoughts, sweetness, but it won't work. No, I am but a vessel." What the fuck did that mean?

One second he was glaring into her mantic eyes, the next speckles of gore flicked across his face at an arch and her head snapped back, an arrow buried deep into her eye socket. Yup, buried deep into her crazy, crazy eye, maybe this day could be saved and he could make it home in time to eat all the cupcakes and blame it on Scott. Allison to save the day, surprisingly, hell he'd happily bake a cake for her or some equally gushy shit, everyone was being awesome today. Her chest started shaking and he felt a flash of alarm, trying to pull out of her arms and then yelping when her nails struck into his stomach. He realized the shaking was her laughing, her head snapping forwards once more to stare at Allison as she stepped out of the woods to stand next to Scott, her bow already cradling a new arrow and pointing at the witch's skull.

"A vessel, I said, I am but a vessel. Silly children, with their silly toys. Though you have damaged my vessel, I shall not be deterred." The shaking wasn't stopping; her whole body seemed to be quivering like it was trying to vibrate itself apart. The skin of her cheek began to sink down, the smile melting to drip onto the collar of her robe. Sinking to her knees, she finally set Derek down, keeping hold of him with her nails while one hand whipped out to catch his chin. "I'll be back, sweetness. Next time you're coming with me. Miss you." And then she fell apart. Like, no joke crumbled and sloped into a mass of carnage onto the forest floor. And it was disgusting. Then started the hissing as a vapor rose up and she slowly evaporated leaving behind nothing but the smell of bog and a wet ground.

"Derek!" He turned around, taking care not to trip over the shirt draping off of his shoulders as his pack came to meet him, Isaac looking like he was struggling not to pick him up. Amazingly enough, it was Stiles who was brave enough to swoop down and swing Derek up onto his skinny hip.

Derek blinked a couple times before remembering to snarl. "I'm not a damn baby, Stilinski." He growled, but didn't struggle to be put down. What could he say, it'd been a long day and he was kind of hoping to be carried. To hell with letting his pack know that though.

"You are right now. Good enough for me _Hale_. And don't curse; it's weird when you look like you should be modeling dippers down the runway." Derek could have drawn cat whiskers on Stiles face with his claws. He settled for just growling low in his throat and shifting his eyebrows down into a glare.

"Oh my God. He is soooo cute." Allison gasped, her hand reaching out to fondle his soft curls that drooped down his forehead. He growled a warning and shifted closer to Stiles. "Awww, Derek don't be that way. If you could see yourself…" Her hand continued to stroke him and he just rolled his eyes, growls tempering off. God knows they hadn't done any good tonight.

"Look, guys, I just want to go home. Now. It's been a long night and I have a feeling we're going to need to regroup as soon as possible to figure this whole thing out." Derek said and yawned, snapping his jaw shut when he heard a new round of 'awww' s strike up. This was going to be a problem. If fatigue was now adorable his life was going to be hell until they found a way to lift this spell. "Stop that. Somebody take me back to my apartment."

Stiles huffed out a laugh, bouncing Derek lightly on his hip and shaking his head. "No way, dude. The last thing I'm doing is letting you sleep at your apartment alone with your crazy Uncle Peter and your estranged sister."

Derek frowned, he had a point with the Uncle Peter thing, but Cora wouldn't harm him. He didn't think. Well, maybe if she got mad. "Where the hell else am I going to stay?" He grumped.

"With me" Stiles grinned, grabbing hold of one of Derek's hands and rubbing his thumb soothingly into the palm, looking like he wanted to chew on his baby hands but holding himself back. "My dad knows about werewolves now, so I'll just tell him what happened and let him hold you a bit. He can't resist kids. I've seen him in grocery stores ogling parents' babies and it's a little creepy so I'm always afraid if he goes alone he'll come home with a huge vat of French fries and a baby. He wouldn't get caught either, he's the sheriff, and I couldn't rat him out. Unless of course he tries to make me change a dipper. You're potty trained right? I'm assuming since you seem to still be Derek but not Derek at the same time you know how to use the toilet. Can you even reach? Jesus you're tiny. How old are you by the way?"

Derek blinked for a second before realizing there had been a question for him to actually answer towards the end of that. "I'm three." He had his three pudgy fingers (the ones not being stroked, which was actually quite relaxing.) up before he even noticed what he was doing and was rewarded with the group around him smiling in amusement. "And yes, I can use the bathroom on my own." Jesus now his cheeks were turning pink and the amused smiles got bigger.

"Good! Then you're coming home with me!" He really wasn't sure what to say to that.

"What are we going to do about the sorceress?" Isaac asked suddenly before Stiles could go skipping back to his jeep with his new bundle of amusement. "She said she was coming back for him and we don't know how to change Derek back."

"We should take him to Deaton tomorrow." Scott said with conviction and Derek made a face. He wasn't sure he trusted Deaton, but the man knew practically everything about the paranormal and abnormal alike. "Maybe he'll know how to fix him. We should take turns guarding Stiles house though."

"Sounds like a plan." Stiles started walking. Derek shivered slightly and without a word about it the teen unzipped his hoodie before slipping his bare feet in to press against his heated side. A large palm pressed into his back while the other helped cradle him as Stiles walked at a brisk pace, the others in the pack keeping up easily. He shouldn't like being coddled, he really shouldn't. But it'd been a long time since he'd been held like this, taken care of. (The evil druid ex-girlfriend didn't count because it was all lies.) "But I'm taking him to Wal-Mart after to get some clothes and shoes. Winter is not the best time to run around in nothing but an over –sized t-shirt. Speaking of clothes, someone grab Derek's? I'm going to most certainly be using his credit card and so I need his wallet." And suddenly the warmth of being taken care of was fading with his money. Ciao, it was good while it lasted!

They got to the clearing where Stiles jeep and Scott's dirt bike was parked, Allison's car a couple feet back and Derek felt a flood of relief that he'd left his Camaro at home and ran here. He'd been looking to clear his head and think before the meeting at Stiles and he'd just wanted to run. Run until he was too tired to think about the look of pain on Boyd's face when his claws had sunken into him. At least that was one good decision he'd made tonight, not leaving his Camaro for the teens to drive home. Thank God, he was not ready for that disaster.

Isaac took one last look at Derek, puppy dog face in overdrive when he leaned over to sweep his alpha's hair out of his face before going to hop on the back of Scott's bike, who was watching with sad eyes as Allison got into her car. The two of them were not back together, yet but really it was a matter of time. Stiles opened the back door behind the driver's seat, setting Derek down before removing his hoodie and folding it around him and buckling his seatbelt over it.

"Not a word, Derek." The teen said to Derek's glare. "Last thing I need is to be pulled over for endangering the life of a baby. And _yes_, I know you heal fast and whatever and you're not really a baby but the cop will _not_ be on board with that story."

This kind of stuff wouldn't have happened if he'd only been born an animal. Any kind of animal, he didn't care, he had always been quite partial to lizards. Yes, if he had only been born an iguana he would not have to deal with the bullshit that is his life.

The drive took forever, Stiles driving five miles under the speed limit so he wouldn't be pulled over and Derek hunched down in his seat enough that no one could see his little tufts of hair sticking up through the window. They finally pulled up to the Stilinski family home, the drive way empty. At some point the rest of the gang must have figured out there wasn't going to be a marathon of the Bachelor and cupcakes with snuggling and decided to pack it up and head home.

"How did you guys know to go check the woods?" Derek asked, back to being perched on Stiles hip as the teen carried him up the staircase to his bedroom, this time bundled up in the red hoodie. "And why did you guys skip out on hanging with everyone to come looking for me?" He sounded needy, he knew he did, but figured he could blame it on exhaustion and being turned into a fucking three year old.

"You're an idiot, but you're not a liar. When you tell Isaac you are going to do something, you do it. So, we figured something had gone wrong. And why the hell _wouldn't_ we come looking for you?" They were right; Derek tried his hardest to be trustworthy in Isaac's eyes. The kid had been through enough. Stiles went straight into the bathroom and sat Derek down on the edge of the sink before stepping back to observe him critically. Just when it started to make him uncomfortable, Stiles gave a nod and pointed a finger at the tiny werewolf. "Stay." He said firmly before leaving the bathroom to trek into the room down the hall. Where the hell else was he going to go? He assumed he had been brought in here to get the blood off of him and that sounded like the most fantastic idea ever right now. To a human nose, he was sure he smelled nasty. Thanks to his lovely keen senses? He needed to wipe this shit off hours ago.

Stiles popped back in with a large black t-shirt, an equally large, green T-Rex printed across the front. Yes, he could totally cry right now, that damned clean shirt looked so good, he didn't care what the hell was on it. (He actually kind of liked dinosaurs) "Now, umm I'm going to have to take your shirt off to wipe you down, little man" Derek snarled at the nickname and Stiles threw his hands up in front of him in a placating gesture. "Fine, big man, whatever. My point is that I'm going to make you naked and proceed to bathe you with my trusty wash cloth, though I promise not to look at your privates as long as you don't bite me."

Cheeks heating up again, Derek growled, eyebrows furrowed into a glare but he gave a small nod of acceptance and Stiles grinned before stripping him of the hoodie and his bloody shirt. And then he frowned, eyes staring at Derek's stomach. "Why the hell aren't you healed?"

Derek's eyebrows went up in question before he followed Stiles gaze. Low and behold, there were the nail marks from the witch still scored into his tummy, five little puffy lacerations with dried blood clotting up. Well, that wasn't good. Stiles was right, these should've been nothing but dried blood and baby smooth skin by now. "I don't know." He mumbled, still regarding the angry marks. Ahhh, if only he were an iguana.

He was still staring at them when Stiles wet the cloth and started wiping him down; the sink plugged and filling with warm water while he rubbed the dirt, blood, and dried tears from Derek's cheeks. He had to wash it out twice before he deemed the werewolf's face clean enough to move on to the rest of him. Stiles saved the sores on his stomach for last, having already replaced the water in the sink three times. Derek watched as Stiles moved to the cabinet beneath the where he sat, pulling out a small first aid kit and setting it on the back of the toilet.

"I don't really need any of that you know." Derek said, watching the teen pull out a tube of Neosporin and a bandage. "It's not that bad."

"Who knows what was under that woman's nails, Derek. I'd rather keep it clean until your werewolf healing powers decide to kick in. Until then, you're getting a damned bandage." Stiles said with a scoff, lifting Derek's arm out of the way and squirting an overwhelming amount of Neosporin on him before rubbing it in gently. He taped the bandage on with medical tape then grabbed the dinosaur shirt and putting it on Derek just as he started to get cold. "There. All done."

Derek didn't even bother hiding the yawn as Stiles scooped him up, cradling him against his chest as he made his way to his bedroom. He sat him down on the bed, bringing the blanket up and covering him giving a small smile. Ah what the hell, Derek smiled back, just barely a twitch of his lips. "Thank you." He said, and it didn't even hurt that much.

The smile on Stiles' face turned blinding as he tucked the blankets around Derek's tiny form. "You're welcome. Now, get some sleep. We're going to shop tomorrow and everyone needs energy for Wal-Mart. Except the employees. The employees don't give a shit."

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Derek asked, frowning. He didn't mind sharing, they were both small enough now to sleep without touching. Barely, but they could make it work and he didn't want to steal Stiles' bed.

"Maybe later. I'm going to get a head start on some research about witches." Stiles threw his body down into his computer chair, waving his hand at Derek. "Go to sleep. I'll try not to wake you if I decide to go to bed." And that was that. Stiles dove right into the internet, bringing up multiple tabs and beginning to read through them at a pace that Derek found admirable.

He drifted to sleep like that, eyes watching the determined look on the teen's face until it got blurry and he couldn't see anymore.

He came awake to the feel of a warm hand on his shoulder and the witch's words in his head. _I am but a vessel. I'll be back for you, sweetness_. Stiles eyes were scrunched in worry and he had a sneaky suspicion he'd cried out. The hand not rubbing calming circles on his back was combing through his unruly bedhead, trying to tame his curls out of his eyes.

"You alright, kiddo?" His eye twitched at the nickname, but he let it slide because of the worry and affection packed into that small sentence. He paused before answering, listening to the teen's heartbeat. People lay traps with their words, he had learned that from Kate, but while Stiles' was faster than normal, it was calming now that he had awakened Derek up from his nightmare.

"I'm fine." Derek said with a sure nod, giving the barest of smiles before looking out the window and seeing daylight. Well, he'd gotten some sleep then, at least. He turned a criticizing gaze to Stiles, taking in the dark circles and twitching hand in his hair. "You didn't go to sleep at all, did you." It wasn't a question.

"Nope."

"You shouldn't do that." Derek growled, because he did, in fact, care and while he did want to be back to normal, he didn't need his pack being unhealthy in order to do it.

Stiles' smile got bigger at the sound of Derek's little body growling at him, the hand buried in his hair scratching at his scalp and he resisted moaning, though he did lean into it a little. "Research is important. I'll be fine. Now, I'm going to check your stomach and then we can head to Deaton's so he can take a look at you."

Derek almost growled again. (growling was kinda his_ thing_, okay?)He really didn't like that odd vet, whatever the hell he was. But the man seemed to know all the answers to everything involving the crazy shit that seemed to make it their sole goal to make his life miserable. He was still a pompous asshole.

He held still while the dinosaur shirt was lifted to his arm pits, lying on his back with the sheet covering his genitals. The bandage from last night still looked fairly clean, if not a little creased from him tossing around in his sleep. With gentle fingers Stiles peeled back the bandage and pulled the tube of Neosporin out from his back pocket. "Looks okay, it didn't bleed at all last night. Though considering it should've healed by now, it's not as good as it could be." He dressed the little scores in his pale stomach again, putting on plenty of ointment though it probably didn't need it anymore before pressing the bandage back down and applying new tape. "There. All set."

Stiles reached out, lifting Derek from the bed before walking over to the dresser. He stopped in front of it with a sigh. "Oh yeah. I forgot you don't have any clothes to wear. Well, that trip to Wal-Mart is going to be awkward."

He really did _not_ want to think about that. He hated being starred at like he was some _freak _and a teenager walking around with a half-dressed toddler was going to turn a few heads. "Couldn't you just go without me? I'm sure you can probably guess what is going to fit me." He was not whining, dammit. He didn't even like going to Wal-Mart on a good day.

"And leave you where, exactly?" Stiles raised his eyebrows, setting him down for a minute while he picked up his red hoodie, slipping Derek's arms into it and zipping him up. "Besides, if you don't come in with me, I'll be forced to pick you out only shirts with unicorns and shit on them."

"How is that fair?" Derek asked, aggravated at the thought of his pack's laughing faces if they were to see him dressed like that. It was bad enough being fucking three. "I'm the one paying for it with my credit card."

"Either way, you're coming in with me." Stiles said his voice firm and determined. Derek sent him a startled look, taking in the protectiveness behind the teen's words before he was being picked up again and carried downstairs to the jeep.

"You do remember that I am no an actual three year old, right?" He raised his eyebrows, watching as Stiles buckled him up in the backseat, mumbling under his breath about a car seat.

"Yeah, well you still look like one, and it's not like being thrown out of the car still wouldn't hurt. You hardly fit that seatbelt." Okay, yeah, he Derek could see that. The top half of the seat belt had hung directly across his face so he had moved it behind him and the strap across his lap was loose enough he would still slide around if the jeep took the corners too fast. And since for some odd reason his scratches were not healing, it would probably be for the best he wasn't thrown out of the car until then. Didn't mean he had to like any of this.

Stile's driving was a lot like it had been the night before. He went the speed limit, not a mile over, and used his turn signal even when no other cars were in view. Derek kept his head down and got lost in the buzz of the teen's background chatter. Holy shit, this kid could talk. The conversation topic ranged from school lunches, to his douchebag chemistry teacher (this one he agreed with, Harris was the worst kind of person), to his father's eating habits, and then back again. Stiles didn't even seem bothered by the fact he wasn't contributing anything, and he felt grateful. He had never been very social and after Kate it got even worse, so it was freeing to know talking wasn't expected of him.

They finally pulled up in front of the veterinarian's clinic, Scott's dirt bike already parked up close by the front entrance. Stiles parked his jeep next to what he recognized to be Allison's car-and why the hell was she here? Allison had been hanging around a lot more since the Alphas, but truthfully Derek had not expected her to be here this morning since this little meeting was to figure out how to fix him. It wasn't that she totally despised him anymore(well, he didn't think but usually you didn't know Allison's full opinion of you until you wound up with an arrow lodged in your liver) but they weren't really friends, so he wrote it off as her using Derek as an excuse to see Scott. He got a whiff of Isaac as well when his door opened and figured he must have rode on the back of Scott's bike, again. Maybe he should invest in getting that kid a car of his own. Calling shotgun was only cool for so many years until your friends got annoyed with dragging your ass around.

"Hold still, Sourpup." Stiles said with a smirk as he lifted Derek up and settled him comfortably on his hip. Well, fuck, he actually preferred Sourwolf to that.

He was embarrassingly pleased that when they entered the room they all smelled as Stiles did; they smelled of fondness, worry, and protectiveness. It was unexpected and made his belly flip and grow warm. _They only feel this way because of the spell. It's only because you wear the face of an innocent child_. He reminded himself when he felt his face twitch with the urge to smile. _Calm down_.

"I see." Deaton said in that annoyingly cryptic way of his, dark eyes going over Derek before motion at Stiles to set him down on the metal table. Bastard, he was already giving off that smug look like he knew everything and couldn't wait to explain what they'd done wrong. And by 'they', he meant Derek. The dude had it out for him, he was sure of it.

"You see _what_?" Stiles hesitated, Derek smelling a scent of mistrust and irritation coming off of him before he sat him down on the table, though he left a large hand placed on his back. "No cryptic bullshit, please, just tell us what is going on and how to fix it." Wow, okay, Stiles was an alright kid sometimes.

"Stiles!" Scott huffed, though Stiles didn't look the least bit chastised, throwing a look at his friend before rolling his eyes and looking back to Deaton.

"Whatever. Um, _please_ no bullshit? Is that better?" By the Scott's current facial expression, no it wasn't really better, but Deaton didn't seem perturbed at all. The man had a better poker face than Derek did.

"Alright, Derek, I'm just going to check you over and ask some questions. Have you been experiencing any pain, dizziness, anything abnormal?" Deaton asked as he looked the three year old over, the rest of the pack watching on closely.

"Besides being turned into a three year old by a crazy lady? He's not healing." Stiles answered before Derek could even open his mouth to say 'no'. Denying you have a problem is right at the top of his list of how to live his life without wanting to ingest as much wolfs bane as you can attain. Right above it is now, 'Don't date anyone, ever'. It was a new rule, but he thought it covered all his bases with it.

"Not healing?" Isaac growled speaking for the first time since Stiles had walked in with his alpha cradled on his hip. "Why wouldn't he be healing? We saw him shift, so he is still a werewolf." He really shouldn't have been this happy that his pack was concerned with him, he really shouldn't. But, damn if it wasn't nice to know that they didn't hate him. Yes, he had to admit he did come off as an asshole most of the time, but it made it hiding his sometimes-hideously depressing thoughts easier (Being an asshole was actually listed as number three). Plus, if he started acting not angry all of the time, they would probably think he had been body-snatched.

"Where is he hurt?" The vet stepped forwards and went to lift Derek's dinosaur shirt and he felt a flash of panic. He scrambled for the hem and yanked it back down as he felt his cheeks flush. Bastard was going to flash his whole pack!

"Just a couple scratches." He growled ignoring the hand tightening on his hip and Allison's little gasp, her heart giving a skip. He needed to stop the blushing shit; Scott was going to be upset if Allison died from a heart attack. Deaton just raised his eyebrows, his hand still lightly gripping his shirt. "No big. Stiles already took care of it." The hand on him softened, Stiles' thumb rubbing soothing circles into his side. The man finally released his shirt and stepped back. Derek hadn't even noticed how stiff he had been until he felt his muscles let go and he listed over to the side to lean on the teen supporting him.

"Derek, did she have you ingest anything?"

His face scrunched up and he went to shake his head. No, not really. But she had forced her bleeding hand over his mouth for an unbearable amount of time while he waited for the Calvary to rescue his kiddy ass. "Her blood." He said quietly, "You think that's why I'm not healing?"

Deaton nodded, his face thoughtful as he starred. "That would definitely do it. We're dealing with someone very powerful. While we were waiting for you, Scott filled me in on what happened last night and it sounds to me like the thing you were attacked by was a golem, though golems aren't known for talking."

Scott tilted his head to the side looking confused. "Like in 'Lord of the Rings'?" We all did a mental face-palm, Stiles actually doing a physical one before groaning. Deaton only gave a fond smile, seemingly unfazed by Scott's mental thought process.

"Not quite. A golem is a creature animated by magic and made entirely from inanimate matter, like mud and other inorganic materials. But like I said, they are known in folklore for being incredibly dumb and unable to speak. Whoever made the vessel you came across must be very powerful."

"I found some stuff last night." Stiles said suddenly, his thumb pausing though it picked back up when Derek made soft sound and shifted back. "It was in this older fantasy novel by Brandon Mull. It was called a Dullion and was supposed to be somehow related to a golem. Same thing, really, they're made of natural crap and animated by a spell except it said they're cruder and nothing said they couldn't talk. I couldn't find anything else on them though, so lord only knows whether he made them up or not."

"This is good though, right?" Isaac said quietly, his face looking unsure for a flash when everyone looked at him before he schooled his expression back to blank. "At least we have some idea of what this thing is and we know now that she has someone controlling her."

"Or it was her and she somehow inhabited the golem. Is that possible?" Allison asked, sweeping her short dark hair back from her face, Scott watching the motion out of the corner of his eye. And they called Derek creepy.

Deaton gave her a considering look, eyebrows going up again. "I suppose it might be. That would be an exceptional amount of magic though." There was a twitch starting just below his eyebrow and Derek realized with a start it was the vet showing signs of nervousness. Oddly enough, his heart rate was completely normal, and that was reason enough not to trust this man. Learning how to control your heart beat took a lot of practice and you don't practice stuff like that unless you have something to hide. But he would come back to that mistrusting thought at another point; the disturbing thing at this moment was that the stoic vet was actually nervous about something.

"How do we fight it?" Derek asked and narrowed his eyes on Deaton, pulling Stiles' jacket closed around him and zipping it up. He needed to get clothes soon, preferably pants; it was uncomfortable and cold not wearing underthings.

"I will start searching around, see what I can find. Just be sure to keep your eyes open for any suspicious activity and keep Derek close." Derek figured that was as close to 'Fuck if I know' as Deaton got. "Everyone be careful, we do not know the extent of her power or how far she is willing to go."

And that was that. Scott sent a smile to Stiles before following Allison out the door like a puppy. Isaac watched them go, his face furrowing before coming to stand by Derek. His hand flashed out, lightening quick, to sweep Derek's curls over to the side and breathing in deeply. Derek batted at the hand half-heartedly, fighting a smile as his beta scented him.

"Where to?" Isaac smiled, ignoring his alpha's protests before lifting him up to settle against his chest, one arm under the back of his thighs and the other curling around his back. He looked quite pleased with himself, too, as if he had been waiting since the beginning of this tragedy to get the chance to hold Derek. "Don't give me that look Stilinski, you're the only one who has gotten to hold him and it's my turn."

Derek glanced over just in time to see Stiles giving Isaac a dirty look before rolling his eyes. "Fine. But I get to hold him in Wal-Mart." He grumped as he headed for the door, ignoring Deaton as the vet watched with that creepy all-seeing gaze.

"So, I get to hold him all the way to the car? I appreciate your sacrifice."

"Ha, you better." And this was his life. Everyone around him ended up dying before him, he was surrounded by angst filled teenagers who barely stood him, and he was currently an adorable, completely not scary three year old being fought over by said angst-y teens. Being an iguana would be so fucking cool.


End file.
